The Integument Flashcards
Define the ‘common integument’
The external/outer covering of the body
Name the largest organ of the body
Integument
State the 4 structures that make up the Common Integument
- Skin
- Hair
- Pads
- Claws
What is the basic function of the skin?
+
What does it cover?
To protect the body, by creating a barrier between the body + the external environment
+
Coveres the entire body
Explain how the skin acts a protective structure for the body
7..
- Provides structure, containing vessels, tissues, cavities etc
- Specialised areas of protection, that are thick = pads
- Physical barrier to prevent invasion of microorganisms
- Allow sebacous glands to secrete sebum onto surface
- Waterproof barrier - almost impermeable to water (When swimming etc)
- Preventing the body from drying out
- Pigmented areas + hair = protect against damage from UV radiation
Explain how the skin acts a sensory structure for the body
2..
- Well supplied with different types of sensory nerve endings
That detect;
- Temperatures
- Pressure
- Touch
- Pain - Assist the body in monitoring its external environment, so can act accordingly
Name the gland that secerete sweat + sebum
Sebaceous glands
Explain how the skin provides + faciliates in secretion
1..
It contains a range of different glands, that produce secretions which secrete directly onto the surface of the skin
What 2 layers make up the skin?
- Epidermis
- Dermis
State the lower layer that lies beneath the dermis
The Hypodermis
(Otherwise known as the Subcuticlar layer)
What 2 main areas would you find the layers, the following structures? :
1. Epidermis
1. Dermis
1. Hypodermis
The:
1. Footpads
1. Claws
What structures are including within the skin, that contributes to the overall function of the skin?
Think exocrine..
Glands with ducts that create + distrubute secretions, otherwise known as Exocrine glands!
Name 2 natural perforated openings in the skin
- Mouth
- Anus
What lines the external circumference of the mouth + anus, that aids their functions?
Mucous membranes
They blend into..
Name 2 modified skin glands, that have exocrine functions..
- Mammary glands
- Anal glands
What basic structure covers almost all areas of the Cat and Dog?
Hair
What type of cells create hair?
Epidermal cells
What are the 3 functions of hair?
- Protect the body (Immune defence)
- Insulate the body (Aid in thermoregulation)
- Aids in communication
What do modified epidermal cells provide the underside of the foot with?
They form the footpads
Name the hard epidermal structures protects the end of the digits?
Claws
True or false.
Cats + Dogs can only secrete Sebum, from the Sebaceous glands if they aren’t active.
False, they are active!
What 2 areas do the active sweat glands lie on the Dog + Cat?
On the:
1. Footpads
2. Nose
Name the type of ‘hormone’ that facilitates in the identification + mating in Dogs + Cats, that are secreted from specialized skin glands
Pheromones
State the 4 main layers of the skin
(Starting from the top)
- Stratum Corneum
- Stratum Lucidium
- Stratum Granulosum
- Stratum Germinativum
Name a structure which is found in the Epidermis
Hair Shaft
Name 3 structures which can be found in the Dermis
- Sensory nerves
- Arrector Pili muscles
- Sweat glands
Name 4 potential components of the skin that can be found lying between the deep within the Dermis + the cranial portion of Hypodermis
- Motor nerves
- Sweat glands
- Veins
- Arteries
Name 3 structures which can be found in the Hypodermis
- Veins
- Arteries
- Adipose tissue
What type of tissue makes up the Epidermis?
Stratified Squamous epithelium
Are new cells produced in the more superficial or deeper layers of the epidermis?
The deeper layers
What type of reproduction do epithelial cells undergo?
Mitosis
What is another word for dead cells?
Squames
What is ‘scurf’?
Flakes on the surface of the skin that form as fresh skin forms below
How often are dead cells lost?
Continually
The process of shedding dead cells, helps the body do…?
Helps replace cells that are lost from friction + wear, with new ones
What is another name for the ‘layers’ of the skin?
Strata
True or false.
Under the hair, all skin can have different pigment colours in different areas.
True!
Fun facts..
What colour of skin does a polar bear have?
Black!
What is another name for Stratum Germinativum?
Stratum basale
How many levels make up the Stratum basale?
1
What does Stratum basale facilitate?
The manufacturing of new cells
+
‘Dividing’ cells
What are the main type of cells that are found within Stratum basale?
+
What is their other name?
Pigmented cells
+
Also known as Melanocytes
What is contained within Melanocytes, that contains pigment?
Granules of pigment
Name 3 potential areas that could be pigemented in the Dogs + Cats
- Nose ‘pads’
- Foot pads
- Coloured areas of fur (breed specific)
What does Stratum granulosum facilitate?
The beginning of the process of Keratinisation
What shape of cells are in Stratum granulosum?
Flattened
What is the process Keratinisation?
The process of infiltration of the structural protein, Keratin
How does Keratin help protect the body?
Provides layers of cells, creating a tough layer for areas such as the footpads, to provide extra ‘wear’
What happens in Stratum lucidum?
Cells lose their nuclei
+
become ‘clearer’
What layer is most superficial?
1. Stratum granulosum
2. Stratum corneum
3. Stratum germinativum
4. Stratum lucidum
Stratum corneum
Do cells in Stratum corneum have nuclei?
No
Are cells in Stratum corneum alive?
No - they are fully keratinised
What shape are the cells in Stratum corneum?
Flattened
True or False.
The whole of the epidermis is avascular.
True
True or false.
The Epidermis receives it’s supply of nutrients from the blood vessels within the dermis.
True
Typically, how many layers of epidermis, that is covered in hair, be present in areas such as the abdomen?
‘Few cells thick’
In areas not protected by hair, such as the Foot-pads, typically would the epidermis be much thinner or thicker?
Thicker
This can be better seen in patients who have cut their pads
What layer of the skin does the epidermis lay on top of?
The dermis!
What type of tissue is within the dermis and is irregularly shaped + arranged with collagen + elastic fibres?
Dense Connective Tissue
What 2 structures does dense connective tissue typically contain?
Irregularly arranged:
1. Collagen
1. Elastic fibres
What 3 structures are generously supplied within the dermis?
2 + 3 are different types..
- Blood vessels
- Nerves
- Sensory nerve endings
Name another 3 further structures which could be found present within the dermis
- Hair follicles
- Sebaceous glands
- Sweat glands
What layer does the Dermis sit on top of?
The Hypodermis
Apart from ‘Hypodermis’ or ‘Subcuticular layer’, name a 3rd term that can also be used to describe this layer/
The Subcutis
Is the Hypodermis actually considered a part of the ‘skin’?
No
Give the name of the 3 structures that infiltrate the Hypodermis
- Loose connective tissue
- Adipose tissue
- Elastic fibres
What, found in the Hypodermis, gives skin it’s flexibility?
Elastic fibres
What technique, that you cannot perform in cat-friendly clinics, can you do, which demonstrates the skin’s flexibility?
Scruffing
What layer of the skin are Subcutaneous injections adminstered into?
The Hypodermis
